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کلیدواژهها
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Discourse, Articulation, Antagonism, Contingency, Black Identity, De-Totalization, the Political, Dis-Articulation, Overdetermination, Floating and Empty Signifiers
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چکیده
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The current research seeks to critically investigate Toni Morrison’s selected novels, with reference to Laclau and Mouffe’s discursive-analytical theory. More specifically, the present study aims at exploring the way black subjectivity, subject-positions of African Americans, and identity of textual characters are constituted within Morrison’s four novels, i.e. Jazz (1992), Love (2003), A Mercy (2008), and Home (2012). With this purpose in the view, the current thesis has opted theoretical framework of Laclau-Mouffe’s discourse analysis in order to apply it to abovementioned texts as sample selection. After analyzing textual data extracts, linguistic and non-linguistic acts through critical tools of Laclau and Mouffe and the novels unveil that there would be multiple discursive domains as the findings of the present research. In particular, identity of the characters-whether black or white could be partially affiliated with discursive domains. On a large scale, Afro American identity can be constructed in contestational contingency with simultaneity of plural and alternative discursive articulations in their political affiliations, effectively leading to the condition of overdetermination. The core possible conclusions drawn from the overdetermined character are as follow: none of discourses are able to claim the dominant or hegemonic position in discursive construction of African-American identity as a whole. Furthermore, the problem of overdetermination posits that hegemonic sides fail to close and suture all black subjects and characters into one discursive chain. Therefore, black identity has a split and unstable character. The overflowing process implemented by surplus of floating signifiers prevents full construction of black identity with a single hegemonic discourse, giving rise to the phases of de-totalization and dis-articulation. However, the impossibility of closure embedded in hegemonic discourses causes the emergence of empty signifiers.
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